Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs by morton a. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs morton a. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs serendip is the old arabic name for ceylon, now known as sri lanka. The origin of the word serendipity is in a persian fairy tale,the three princes of serendip, whose traveling heroes were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of. While i am reading the book, i feel an urge to introduce this book to all readers of the korean journal of radiology. I came across this book the other day, and bought it on sight. The art of the discovery rarely follows an original game plan.
Morton meyers details many examples of serendipity in. The origin of the word serendipity is in a persian fairy tale,the three princes of serendip, whose traveling heroes were always making discoveries, by accidents and. What do penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, xrays, valium, the pap smear, and viagra have in common. Not every modern medical breakthrough is based on evidencebased clinical trials. They were each discovered accidentally, stumbled upon in the search for something else. A general critique of modern research funding is provided, and it could form the basis of debate on the merit and. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs download let me preface my remarks by mentioning that i am a practicing radiologist and i also serve as editor in chief for the american journal of roentgenology ajr, a scholarly, scientific journal that has been in existence for more than 100 years. Morton a meyers a look at the role of serendipity in major medical and scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century explains how chance led to the discovery of such medical advances as penicillin, chemotherapy. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughswhen scientists. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs happy accidents. For while we all know that a few medical breakthroughs have occurred by serendipity, by mistakes, and by loners who fought domineering dogmas, meyers book stuns. The introduction provides the framework for the following chapters. From what ive read of it so far, its a fine onestopreference for all sorts of medical discoveries where fortune favored the prepared mind as pasteur put it.
Meyers, who has been one of leading abdominal radiologists in the world for more than 30 years, has recently written a book entitled happy accidents. Meyers takes us though a rapid and eyeopening tour of the history of modern medicine. Sep 24, 2010 i came across this book the other day, and bought it on sight. This failure stands in stark contrast to the discovery in the late 1950s of a major group of plantderived cancer drugs, the vinca alcaloids a discovery that came about by chance, not through directed research. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs, by morton meyers, a book that just came out. This is morton meyers fascinating, entertaining, and highly access. Although the author does not take my drastic stochastic tinkering approach, he provides all. Happy accidents serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs. For while we all know that a few medical breakthroughs have occurred by serendipity, by mistakes, and by loners who fought domineering dogmas, meyers. Donald rubin md from the veterans affairs medical center medical milestones the. Last year, i was asked to write a chapter on innovation for an encyclopedia of medicinal chemistry.
June 2007 new england journal of medicine alan e h emery. Kyung soo lee, md editorinchief korean journal of radiology happy accidents. His classic meyers dynamic radiology of the abdomen. His book, happy accidents, won the prestigious choice outstanding academic title award. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughswhen scientists find what theyre not looking for. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs by meyers, morton a. Many major scientific breakthroughs resulted from chance observations by an astute observer. Serendipity in major medical breakthroughs in the twentieth century by dr.
Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughswhen scientists find what they are not looking for by morton meyers 2007 arcade publishing, new york. Apr 25, 2007 i wish morton meyers book happy accidents had appeared then, for it would have made my job infinitely easier and much more pleasant. Publication date 2007 topics medicine, medical innovations, medicine, discoveries in science, serendipity. Meyers book is a wonderful introduction to many of those happy accidents, including the discovery of early chemotherapy drugs, viagra, and.
Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs in the twentieth century. According to the oxford english dictionary, the word serendipity was coined by horace walpole in a letter to his friend sir horace mann in. Meyers, professor emeritus of radiology and internal medicine at sunystony brook, has a simple message. Many advances in medical care and technology can be traced back to an unexpected discovery by scientists working on a seemingly unrelated problem. Although the author does not take my drastic stochastic tinkering approach, he provides all kind of. For while we all know that a few medical breakthroughs have occurred by serendipity, by mistakes, and by loners who fought domineering dogmas, meyers book stuns the reader with the sheer number and importance of. Morton meyers is the author of the fascinating and entertaining books.
If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to reset your password. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs march 9, 2007, arcade publishing hardcover in english 1 edition. I wish morton meyers book happy accidents had appeared then, for it would have made my job infinitely easier and much more pleasant. The paperback was published in 2009 and reissued in 2011 arcade, an imprint of skyhorse. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs when scientists find what theyre not looking for by morton a. Medical education and research in the th from th to th century medicine key changes concept of disease physiology diagnosis medical discoveries in selected countries happy accidents serendipity in modern medical happy accidents serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs in the twentieth century. Medical breakthroughs 20th century makalah manajemen. Mar 01, 2008 happy accidents serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs. Meyers has maintained a continuing interest in the role of serendipity as it applies to major medical breakthroughs, and he published a book on this very topic in march 2007, titled happy accidents. Pdf on jan 1, 2007, kyung soo lee and others published happy accidents. The book contains a collection of vignettes concerning serendipitous discoveries in the fields of infectious disease, cancer chemotherapy, modern cardiovascular disease management, and psychiatry, which led to current. It has been translated into chinese and japanese editions.
This book will make the strongest advocate question the current state of medical research and the push against creative thinking and problem solving. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs find, read and. The idea of serendipity means more than just a pleasant surprise. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughswhen scientists find what they are not looking for by morton meyers 2007 arcade publishing, new. Several episodes in medical history are discussed in the book happy accidents.
Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs, modern researchers must value the phenomenons potential to. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs this is morton meyers fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity played in some of the most important medical discoveries in the 20th century. Normal and pathologic anatomy springer, now in its sixth edition, has been hailed as the book that revolutionized abdominal radiology. Serendipity in modern medical breakthroughs arcade. Meyers 2008, paperback, revised at the best online prices at ebay. Happy accidents is a fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity has played in some of the most important medical discoveries in the 20th century. And, according to morton meyers, author of the recently published happy accidents. Meyers this is morton meyers fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity played in some of the most important medical page 27. Although the author does not take my drastic stochastic tinkering approach, he provides all kind of empirical evidence for the role of design.
Serendipity refers to looking for one thing and stumbling over something else that proves to be of greater value, he. Happy accidents is a fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity has played in some of the most important medical discoveries in the twentieth century. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Meyers this is morton meyers fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity played in some of the most important medical discoveries in the 20th century.